The full scale application of oxy-fuel technology is still under development and it requires complete understanding of the changes associated with the substitution of nitrogen with carbon dioxide. Particle ignition and devolatilization are responsible for a stable combustion in any industrial furnace. Therefore fundamental studies on particle ignition in CO₂ atmosphere are necessary for a better understanding and successful commercialization of this new combustion technology. The aim of this study is to carry out a fundamental research on the ignition characteristics of single coal particles on the basis of residence time under oxy-fuel (O₂/CO₂) conditions and to compare it with the ignition under conventional air-fired (O₂/N₂) conditions.